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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BPW-2013-04-22BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 4:48 p.m. April 22, 2013 PRESENT: Mayor Myrick Commissioners (4) — Acharya, Darling, Jenkins, Morache OTHERS PRESENT: Acting Superintendent of Public Works — Benjamin Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer — Whitney Director of Engineering — West Common Council Liaison — Fleming Executive Assistant — Gehring Transportation Engineer - Logue EXCUSED: Commissioners (2) — Leccese, Paine City Attorney — Lavine DAC Liaison — Roberts ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA: Mayor Myrick stated that Assistant City Attorney Krin Flaherty requested that item 9. 1, Boat Slip Rental Fees, was deleted from the agenda to allow more time for her review of the appeal. No Board member objected. MAYOR'S COMMUNICATIONS: The Mayor had no communications at this time. COMMUNICATIONS AND HEARINGS FROM PERSONS BEFORE THE BOARD: Chris Milner and Bill Barton, residents of Woodcrest Avenue, addressed the Board regarding the poor water quality in their neighborhood. Allen Lambert, East Falls Street, addressed the Board as a representative of the residents on East Falls Street. He explained the requested parking changes on the 300 block East Falls Street, noting the differences and parking similarities between Falls Street and Lincoln Street. JP Vico, owner of Circus Truck mobile vending truck, addressed that Board regarding the Food Truck Roundup. He expressed support and encouragement that Board was considering the mobile vending issues. He further requested information on mobile vending for the rest of the City, including yearly permits and potential locations. RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC Mayor Myrick explained to Mr. Vico that the Leadership Tompkins Community Action Project Group would provide a proposed policy for mobile vending in June. REPORTS Council Liaison Alderperson Fleming stated she had received numerous e -mails from residents about parking and all its permutations. She explained that many residents are opposed to a blanket change in parking requirements, and concerns have been expressed about on- street parking on Valley Road by construction workers. Transportation Engineer Logue responded that he has implemented parking restrictions to one side of Valley Road as a short term resolution. Mayor Myrick further stated that the developer for Collegetown Terrace has agreed to shuttle the construction workers from the BOCES parking lot on Old Elmira Road to the construction site once school has ended for the year. Superintendent and Staff Director of Engineering West reported that applications have been received for the position of Parking Director, staff is completing bidding documents for Six Mile Creek bank repair project, continued work on the Seneca Street Parking Garage will begin June 10 -17, 2013. Board of Public Works Page 2 April 22, 2013 Regular Meeting Asst. Supt. Whitney reported that crews repaired on valve on Old Elmira Road, a number of service connections have been completed, and the contract for the solids handling facility on Giles Street has been bid. Acting Supt. Benjamin reported that Parks and Forestry crews are ready to for spring planting, crews are working on the Elm Street /Floral Avenue intersection, the Administrative Office has received requests from volunteer groups for bags and trash pickup to assist in cleaning up creek banks, and special events are increasing along with requests for services. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Approval of the April 1, 2013, Board of Public Works Meeting Minutes - Resolution By Commissioner Jenkins: Seconded by Commissioner Morache RESOLVED, That the minutes of the April 1, 2013, Board of Public Works meeting be approved as proposed. Carried Unanimously VOTING ITEMS: Highways, Streets and Sidewalks: Authorization for the Use of Right of Way by the Food Truck Association for Food Truck Roundups at Thompson Park — Resolution By Commissioner Darling: Seconded by Commissioner Jenkins WHEREAS, the Food Truck Association of Ithaca has submitted a proposal for Food Truck Roundups to be located at various locations around the City, beginning with Thompson Park, and WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works has expressed interest in permitting mobile vending on City streets, and WHEREAS, Department of Public Works staff has met with Food Truck Association organizers to assemble a revocable license agreement to permit a Food Truck Roundup adjacent to Thompson Park, and WHEREAS, the Assistant City Attorney and staff members of the Special Events Committee have been provided an opportunity to review and comment on the terms of the agreement, and WHEREAS, though a group from Leadership Tompkins is currently working on a project to create a pilot mobile vending program within the City, the Board agreed that authorizing the Food Truck Roundup on a trial basis would not detract the work of the Leadership Tompkins group, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby authorizes the Superintendent of Public Works to execute a revocable license agreement with the Food Truck Association of Ithaca for the use of the parking lane adjacent to Thompson Park, and directs staff to monitor the activities of the Food Truck Roundups on a trial basis. Carried Unanimously Resolution to Amend Vehicle and Traffic Schedule IV: One -Way Streets, Schedule XII: Parking Prohibited at All Times, and Schedule XX: Continuous Parking for 200 Block of Prospect Street By Commissioner Darling: Seconded by Commissioner Morache WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works is authorized by Section 346 -4 of the City Code to adopt and to amend a system of Schedules in order to administer the Vehicle and Traffic Law, and WHEREAS, the Office of the City Engineer proposes the installation of a contra -flow bicycle lane in the 200 block of Prospect Street as detailed in a memo delivered to the Board dated April 11, 2013; the plan for which necessitates the relocating of on- street parking from the south curbline to the north curbline, and WHEREAS, this proposed action modifies the one -way nature of the street; the street will be two -way for bicyclists, with a travel lane for motor vehicles only provided in the westbound direction, and WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works concurs, now therefore be it Board of Public Works Page 3 April 22, 2013 Regular Meeting RESOLVED, That the following amendments to the Vehicle and Traffic Schedules shall be made: Schedule IV: One -Way Streets. Prospect St. from Hudson St. to Aurora St., westbound — except bicycles (revised entry) Schedule XII: Parking Prohibited at All Times. Name of Street Side Location (From /To) Prospect Street South Aurora St to Hudson St. (new entry) Schedule XX, Continuous Parking. Name or Street Side Location Prospect Street Seuth From Aurora St to Hudson St (revised entry) North Carried Unanimously Water and Sewer: Reauest to Standardize Main Coaaulant until a Year after the Comoletion of the New Water Treatment Plant — Resolution By Commissioner Jenkins: Seconded by Commissioner Morache WHEREAS, Common Council has been requested by the Department of Public Works Water and Sewer Division Water Treatment Plant to standardize the main coagulant used at the Water Treatment Plant in the water treatment process until the new Water Treatment Plant is constructed and online for a period of one year, and WHEREAS, the new Water Treatment Plant will be constructed in the same footprint as the old Water Treatment Plant, thus the new plant will be simultaneously constructed as the old plant is deconstructed, and staff will have substantial additional workload in the coordination and continued operation of the remaining old processes, the set up of temporary bridging processes, and the startup of new processes, and WHEREAS, Water Treatment Plant staff is familiar with the coagulant currently used at the plant and know how it performs, what feed rates and concentrations to use as conditions change under seasonal and daily variations in weather and water quality, and WHEREAS, changing the primary coagulant would result in substantial additional staff workload in the learning, testing, and optimization of a new coagulant's performance characteristics under many different seasonal and daily conditions, and WHEREAS, it is deemed to be in the best interest of the City for reasons of efficiency, compatibility and economics to approve standardization of the primary coagulant used at the Water Treatment Plant to Polyaluminum Chloride as manufactured by Holland Company (PCH180), and authorize the City to purchase approved coagulant from the manufacturer, or a representative thereof, until the new Water Treatment Plant is constructed and operational for a one year period, now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That pursuant to Section 103, subdivision 5 of General Municipal Law of the State of New York, the Board of Public Works hereby recommends that Common Council authorize the standardization to, and purchase and use of Polyaluminum Chloride as manufactured by Holland Company (PCH180) for the City of Ithaca Department of Public Works Water & Sewer Division Water Treatment Plant until the new Water Treatment Plant is commissioned and has been operational for a one year period, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Assistant Superintendent of Public Works for Water and Sewer be authorized to execute the purchase contract and to administer the same. Asst. Supt. Whitney explained that any coagulant used at the water treatment plan must be tested under difference turbidity conditions, which takes significant staff time. Chief Operator Baker had requested that staff remained focused on the water treatment plant rebuild project and not have to worry about testing new coagulants. Board of Public Works Page 4 April 22, 2013 Regular Meeting A Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows: Carried Unanimously Award of Bids for "Water Supply Project: Water System Improvements — Contracts 2A and 2113 By Commissioner Jenkins: Seconded by Commissioner Darling WHEREAS, as a vital component of the City of Ithaca Water Supply Project, improvements to the City's water distribution system at the Elm Street Tank, improvements to the water supply reservoir access road, restoration and stabilization along the path of the raw water intake pipe, and the construction of a new water intake utility building are necessary to enhance efficiency and improve functionality, and WHEREAS, the City's Engineering Consultants, O'Brien and Gere, prepared design drawings, specifications, and bid packages, and WHEREAS, three sealed bids were received for Water System Improvements — Contract 2A, General Construction, and four sealed bids were received for Water System Improvements — Contract 2B, Electrical Construction, and opened on March 12, 2013, at 2:OOPM, and WHEREAS, the City's Engineering Consultants and Staff have reviewed the bids received and made recommendations for award, and WHEREAS, on April 3, 2013, Common Council provided project funding by amending Capital Project #510 Water Treatment Plant Improvements /Reconstruction by an amount not to exceed $30,700,000 for a total project authorization of $36,700,000, and now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards the bid for Contract 2A to Vacri Construction Corp., One Brick Avenue, Binghamton, NY for a total contract amount of $1,680,000 for general construction services, and be it further, RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards the bid for Contract 2B to Vacri Construction Corp., One Brick Avenue, Binghamton, NY for a total contract amount of $114,000, and be it further, RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works authorizes the Superintendent of Public Works to execute the respective contracts with Vacri Construction Corp. upon review and approval by the City Attorney. Carried Unanimously Award of Bids for "Water Supply Project: Giles Street & Interconnection Building — Contracts 3A and 3113 By Commissioner Darling: Seconded by Commissioner Morache WHEREAS, as a vital component of the City of Ithaca Water Supply Project, improvements to the City residuals handling facility and the construction of a new public water supply interconnection building are necessary to enhance efficiency and improve functionality, and WHEREAS, City Engineering Consultants, O'Brien and Gere, prepared design drawings, specifications, and bid packaging, and WHEREAS, five sealed bids were each received for the Giles Street Interconnection Building, Contract 3A, General Construction, and Contract 3B, Electrical Construction, and opened on March 12, 2013, at 2:OOPM, and WHEREAS, the City's Engineering Consultants and Staff have reviewed said bids and have concluded that the offers submitted by Streeter Associates for Contract 3A, and Vacri Construction for Contract 3B, have been identified as the apparent low bidders, and WHEREAS, on April 3, 2013, Common Council provided project funding by amending Capital Project #510 Water Treatment Plant Improvements /Reconstruction by an amount not to exceed $30,700,000 for a total project authorization of $36,700,000, and now therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards the bid for Contract 3A to Streeter Associates, 1012 East Woodlawn Avenue, Elmira, NY for a total amount not to exceed $4,048,000 for general construction services, and be it further, Board of Public Works Page 5 April 22, 2013 Regular Meeting RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works hereby awards the bid for Contract 3B to Vacri Construction, One Brick Avenue, Binghamton, NY for a total amount not to exceed $223,000, and be it further, RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works authorizes the Superintendent of Public Works to execute the respective contracts with Streeter Associates and Vacri Construction upon review and approval by the City Attorney. Carried Unanimously Resection of Bids & Authorization to Re -Bid for "Water Supply Project: Giles Street & Interconnection Building — Contracts 3C -HVAC and 3D- Plumbing — Resolution By Commissioner Morache: Seconded by Commissioner Darling WHEREAS, as a vital component of the City of Ithaca Water Supply Project, improvements to the City residuals handling facility and the construction of a new public water supply interconnection building are necessary to enhance efficiency and improve functionality, and WHEREAS, City Engineering Consultants, O'Brien and Gere, prepared design drawings, specifications, and bid packaging, and WHEREAS, only one sealed bid each was received for the Giles Street Interconnection Building, Contract 3C, Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), and Contract 3D, Plumbing, and opened on March 12, 2013, at 2:OOPM, and WHEREAS, the City's Engineering Consultants and Staff have reviewed said bids and have concluded that the bids submitted by Ackerman Plumbing Inc. for Contracts 3C and 3D are the sole bids and are substantially higher than the Engineer's estimate for the work, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works, at the recommendation of the City's Engineering Consultants and the Assistant Superintendent of Public Works for the Water & Sewer Division, hereby rejects the bids for Contracts 3C and 3D and authorizes the rebidding of Contracts 3C and 3D. Carried Unanimously Acceptance of Proposal for Professional Engineering Services For Control Systems Integration for The City of Ithaca Municipal Water Supply Project By Commissioner Darling: Seconded by Commissioner Morache WHEREAS, in the construction of its new Water Treatment Plant the City of Ithaca, New York has need of qualified Control Systems Integrators (CSI) offering professional engineering services for the design, coordination, fabrication, configuration, implementation, testing, startup, and commissioning of a complete, integrated, uniform, and fully operational Process Control Systems (PCS). A CSI is required in order to effectively implement fully the design intent of the project functional system requirements and instrumentation design currently under development, and WHEREAS, the Ithaca Water Supply Project is broken out into four distinct design packages, each with custom integration work. Staff considers the "Professional Services" option as the best option for this project. The Professional Services option maintains one single contract with total responsibility for the control and monitoring of the distribution and treatment systems under all contracts. The project and the City of Ithaca will benefit from this approach by maintaining consistency throughout the project, allowing standardization of instrumentation equipment, control panels, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) cabinets, and the system integration for the systems, including PLC, Operator Interface Terminal (OIT) and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) programming. This approach also will allow standardization of naming conventions, tagging, alarming, screens, logging, colors, text, etc., and WHEREAS, a CSI hired under a "Professional Services" contract separate from the Prime Contracts gives the City of Ithaca total control of who provides the integration services and the opportunity to take advantage of technology developments after preparation of the contract documents. It is recognized that some additional work will fall to City Staff in the management of the CSI and its coordination with other Contracts and Contractors., and WHEREAS, on December 17, 2012 the City of Ithaca advertised in a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Professional Engineering Services For Control Systems Integration for The City of Board of Public Works Page 6 April 22, 2013 Regular Meeting Ithaca Municipal Water Supply for design, coordination, fabrication, configuration, implementation, testing, startup, commissioning of a complete, integrated, uniform, and fully operational PCS for: 1. Intake Utility Building, located on Slaterville Road 2. Elm Street Pumping Station, located on Elm Street 3. Giles Street Press Building, located Giles Street 4. Interconnection Building, located on Water Street 5. Water Treatment Plant, located on Water Street 6. Repeater Station, located on Coddington Road and, WHEREAS, The City received three proposals as of February 1, 2013, from the following Professional Engineering Firms: Robert P. Lee, PE bobleeCcD north Poi ntusa.com North Point Technology, LLC 530 Columbia Drive, Ste. 102 Johnson City, NY 13790 John Conway jconway(a)asgrp.com Applied Sciences Group, Inc. 4455 Genesee Street, Ste. 103 Buffalo, NY 14225 Richard E. Gell, PE Rick. Gel l(aobg.com O'Brien & Gere Engineering 333 West Washington Street I P.O. Box 4873 Syracuse, NY 13221- 4873 and, WHEREAS, DPW Water & Sewer Division Engineers and Water Treatment Plant Staff met with two of the three proposing firms on February 14 and 20, 2013, for an in -depth presentation, review, and discussion, and WHEREAS, DPW Water & Sewer Division Engineers and Water Treatment Plant Staff have thoroughly and diligently reviewed all three of the proposals received. Based on their review, Staff recommends acceptance of the proposal from O'Brien & Gere, Mr. Richard Gell, PE, 333 West Washington Street, Syracuse NY 13221 -4873, and WHEREAS, it has been verified with the City Controller that funds for this purpose have been reserved and are available under the existing Capital Project 510, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Assistant Superintendent of the City of Ithaca DPW Water & Sewer Division be authorized to prepare a contract for professional services between O'Brien & Gere and the City of Ithaca in the amount not to exceed $500,000, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Mayor of the City of Ithaca be authorized to accept the proposal from O'Brien & Gere for Professional Engineering Services for Control Systems Integration for The City of Ithaca Municipal Water Supply and execute a contract for these professional services on behalf of the City of Ithaca upon completion of the City's prescribed contract review process. Asst. Supt. Whitney explained that normally, Control Systems Integration would be listed under the electrical contract for construction projects, but because the water treatment plant rebuild project has four separate contracts, with potentially four different electrical contractors, it was decided to bid one Control Systems Integration contract to maintain consistency throughout the project. Carried Unanimously Board of Public Works Page 7 April 22, 2013 Regular Meeting DISCUSSION ITEMS: Request to Use DeWitt Park for Homeless Conference Mayor Myrick explained the request and stated he had agreed to speak at the event. The event was scheduled for a Sunday beginning very early in the morning. Acting Supt. Benjamin responded that DeWitt Park may not be a good location because of the churches surrounding the park. Carl Humphrey, the applicant, joined the Board for the discussion of this topic, and stated he was planning to travel throughout the states to invite people to this event. Mayor Myrick suggested moving the event to another park, or contact Rev. Jim Henery at the First Presbyterian Church to request his permission to hold the event in DeWitt Park. Mr. Humphrey stated he would rather have the event in DeWitt Park and would contact Rev. Henery. Request for Modification of Parking Regulations on East Falls Street Transportation Engineer Tim Logue joined the Board for the discussion of this topic. He explained the request to change on- street parking to match other blocks on East Falls Street. Due to the narrowness of the 300 block of East Falls Street, the parking on this block was adjusted to allow busses to get through the street. He suggested allowing on- street parking on one side of the street only. Discussion followed on the floor regarding the width of the streets, including Falls and Lincoln Streets. Mayor Myrick expressed support for modifying the parking rules. Mr. Lambert, City of Ithaca, stated that Lincoln Street is narrower than Falls Street and vehicles are parked on both sides of the street. He stated his first choice would be to allow parking on both sides of the street, with the exception of odd -even parking in the winter. Commissioner Morache suggested moving the "No Parking Here to Corner" signs further away from the corner to allow more traffic moving onto Falls Street from Lake Street. The Board generally agreed with modifying the 300 block of East Falls Street to on- street parking on both sides of the street, with odd -even parking in the winter. A resolution would be provided in the Board's agenda on May 6, 2013. Request to Improve Water Quality on Woodcrest Avenue Asst. Supt. Whitney explained the map that was distributed to the Board that showed the water mains in the subdivision. He stated that all of the mains could be replaced all at once, or broken into phases. He suggested beginning at the Cornell Street water tank by retiring the older 6 inch water lines and tying into the 12 inch water lines from 1967. Discussion followed on the floor regarding estimated costs of replacing the water mains, breaking the work into phases, and pinpointing the source of the problem with the turbidity of the water through testing. Alderperson Fleming suggested sending a message out on the neighborhood listsery asking for residents to briefly explain their experience with the water. Asst. Supt. Whitney agreed, stating the information would be very helpful. He further stated that crews would take samples of the pipe in the Wood crest /Homestead area, along with turbidity testing. Green Garage Trash Facility Program Improvements — Resolution WHEREAS, the existing trash facility located at the Green Garage requires frequent costly repair and lacks secure locks, and WHEREAS, due to inadequate security a far greater number of people and businesses use the facility than pay for it, and WHEREAS, in order to provide the service and convenience of a centrally located disposal facility at a fair and equitable price, now be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Public Works requests authorization of funds for purchase and installation of fencing, locks, compactor and trash bags for improving the functionality of the Green Garage trash facility, and be it further RESOLVED, The Board of Public Works authorizes the institution of a trash bag program for use at the Green Garage trash facility at a charge of $4.00 per 35 pound bag. Board of Public Works Page 8 April 22, 2013 Regular Meeting Director of Engineering West emphasized that the City was losing a lot of money from people using the facility, but not paying for it. Commissioner Darling noted the lack of incentive to increase recycling if people are not paying for the trash compactor. Director of Engineering West agreed, and explained that utilizing special bags and new equipment would allow for the City to break even. Discussion followed on the floor regarding user fees paid by residents to Tompkins County for recycling pick -up, the history of the trash compactor, the options that were provided for the Board, recycling and composting, and the use of the compactor by new developments on the Commons. Mayor Myrick requested that this item be forwarded to the Downtown Ithaca Alliance for their input, and the resolution be brought back to the Board for approval. No Board member objected. Boat Slip Rental Fees This item was not discussed. FOR YOUR INFORMATION Safe Routes to School Project and Bike Boulevard Plan Update This topic was not discussed New Business: Mayor Myrick asked if Clinton /Prospect Streets would be open for the graduations. Director of Engineering West responded that he has asked the Project Manager, who stated that during construction only one lane going uphill would be open to traffic. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion, the meeting adjourned at 6:07 p.m. Kathrin D. Gehring Executive Assistant Svante L. Myrick Mayor